“The chestnut horse is really living well with us. Look at it—just one day and its coat is already shinier than before…”
As they drove onto the official road, Zhou Shi couldn’t help but sigh.
Inside the space, there was abundant grass that grew quickly. Once the chestnut horse entered, it never stopped eating.
When it was full, it would even walk to the river and drink water by itself—so obedient it almost seemed intelligent.
Originally, Zhou Shi and Qin Suining had planned to tie it up, but now they abandoned that idea.
With so much forage in the space, the horse not only ate well but also became visibly stronger and more energetic.
Next, their route required crossing a mountain called Duanyun Ridge.
Duanyun Ridge was steep and dangerous, with a winding official road spiraling up the mountain before continuing along the slopes.
“Once we pass Duanyun Ridge, the road will be easier. At our pace, we should reach Yuezhou Prefecture in about two days,” Qin Suining said, showing the map to Zhou Shi and teaching her how to read directions.
Zhou Shi nodded, guiding the carriage slowly along the mountain road.
The terrain was too rough for speed, so even the strong chestnut horse did not dare to run fast.
They never expected that the journey, originally planned for two days, would not go so smoothly.
After most of a day of travel, they finally crossed Duanyun Ridge.
But on the other side, they discovered devastation.
The locust swarm had already ravaged everything.
Farmland stretched out in all directions, but the crops had been reduced to bare stalks.
At the foot of the mountain lay a large village, now filled with wailing cries and chaos.
As they passed by, they even heard women crying loudly.
This was harvest season—when grain stores were already tight.
Now, with everything destroyed by locusts, it was truly a living hell.
Zhou Shi sighed but said nothing, urging the carriage onward.
If they could not help, it was better not to look.
Not long after, they encountered a large group of refugees on the road.
Men, women, and children dragged their belongings—baskets, bundles, and creaking carts—moving forward with exhausted faces.
“Damn… these are fleeing refugees, right?”
“I even saw babies… this is too tragic…”
“Girls born into this kind of situation probably won’t survive…”
The barrage flickered again, filled with shock and sympathy.
Some even argued:
“Shouldn’t she take out the space and save them?”
“If it were you, would you dare? They’d just rob you immediately.”
“Still… watching them starve feels wrong…”
Qin Suining read silently.
Then a phrase surfaced clearly in her mind:
In chaos, first kill the ‘saint’.
She did not fully understand the term, but she knew it was not a compliment.
It meant someone overly kind, blindly helping others without regard for consequences.
She shivered slightly and reminded herself firmly:
She must never become such a person.
The carriage quickly passed the crowd.
Along the way, they encountered more refugees, some even trying to stop their carriage to trade children for food.
Zhou Shi and Qin Suining refused coldly and sped up.
Eventually, night fell.
They reached a large open area where many travelers had gathered around bonfires.
After discussing, they parked their carriage at the edge of the road.
It was safer among people.
They ate dry food inside the carriage without lighting a fire, careful not to attract attention.
Zhou Shi sighed.
“It’s a pity we have no meat. I wanted to steam buns.”
“It’s okay, Mother. Plain buns are already good.”
Qin Suining sent Zhou Shi into the space to prepare food.
What she did not know was—
Not only them, but many of the refugees were also thinking the same thing.
Thinking about meat.